Where did the 14 billion flaring cap figure come from?

Mar 01, 2021 News

Kaieteur News- ExxonMobil Guyana’s recent gas compressor malfunction brought with it a number of questionable claims, with the most concerning one being that t

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

he Liza Phase One Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) allows the US oil giant to flare up to 14 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
The local oil boss and Guyana’s Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo had made that disclosure at his last press engagement based on a briefing he reportedly received from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), now led by Sharifa Razack.
The figure purportedly sits in the 2017 EIA that was given the stamp of approval by the EPA.

Former EPA Director, Dr. Vincent Adams

But Kaieteur News perused all four volumes of the EIA and discovered nothing of the sort that speaks to ExxonMobil being allowed to flare 14 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
So where did the figure come from?
Kaieteur News sent emails to the current Director of the EPA, Ms. Razack on February 21st and then again on the 26th for her to point precisely where in the EIA outlines the provision in question.
Up to press time, there has been no response.
Several calls to her phone also went unanswered.

The origin of the figure remains a mystery but Dr. Adams had given his theory that the figure forms part of ExxonMobil’s “public relations campaign of confusion, misinformation and distraction” to deflect from its continuous flaring and refusal to slash production.
That narrative, he had said, is one that is being accepted by the governing administration as ExxonMobil continues to produce 120,000 barrels while flaring 16 million cubic feet of natural gas daily.

ExxonMobil will face no penalty for its increased bout of flaring as according to the VP, that very provision in the EIA prevents the EPA from taking any action against the company.
If the public wishes to peruse the EIA, it can be accessed via the EPA’s website – http://www.epaguyana.org/ under the section EEPGL.

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